Keyless unidirectional reset for cumulative demand register

Abstract

A manual mechanism for resetting a rotatable member to its initial position is disclosed which provides for rotation of 360° or more, rotates in one direction only, and can be simply locked and unlocked for periodic use. In one embodiment the resetting mechanism is applied to cumulative demand registers on watt hour meters.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A reset mechanism mountable in and through an aperture in the cover of an electric watt hour meter, said meter having a crank-operated cumulative demand register comprising: an elongated, tubular bushing member;   a shaft member having a head end and a shank member extending through and rotatably supported by said bushing member;   said bushing member having a radial flange and an intermediate shank portion extendable through said aperture in said cover;   means engageable with said shank portion of said bushing member and the inside of said cover to secure said bushing member within said aperture with said flange member against the outside of said cover member;   said bushing member having a counterbore defining an annular space extending from its flanged end and encompassing a portion of said shank member of said shaft;   said flange having a radial slot in its outer surface communicating with said annular space;   a radial slot in the head end of said shaft;   a link member pivotally mounted at one end in said slot of said head end for rotation thereabout through an angle of less than 180°;   a locking post carried by said cover and spaced from said shaft member;   a radial slot in the locking post oriented to be in the plane of the radial slot of said head member in one position thereof and adapted to receive the other end of said link member in a locked position;   a coil spring around the portion of said shank member of said shaft having its convolutions within said annular space with a bight end of said coil spring extending into said radial slot in said flange member;   said convolutions of said spring being in bearing contact with said shank member within said annular space whereby said shaft member is rotatable in an angular direction opening said convolutions about said shank member and is prevented from rotation in the opposite direction;   resilient means at the extended end of said shank member retaining said head end in axially thrust relationship with said flange of said bushing member and retaining the bight end of said coil spring in said radial slot; and   an operating lever on the inner end of said shank member for operable engagement with said crank-operated cumulative demand register whereby in the unlocked position said link member is pivotable from the slot of said locking post to an angular position with the axis of said shaft member to serve as a lever to rotate said shaft and said operating lever in said angular direction to a point of re-registry with said slot in said locking post.   
     
     
       2. A reset mechanism in accordance with claim 1 in which: said radial slot in said flange of said bushing member extends substantially tangentially from said counterbore to the periphery of said flange.   
     
     
       3. A reset mechanism in accordance with claim 1 including: means to mount said bushing member and said sealing post in non-rotatable substantially parallel spaced relationship a fixed distance from each other in said cover with said operating arm rotatably engageable with said crank-operated cumulative demand register; and   a reinforcing plate connected between said bushing member and said locking post, said reinforcing plate having apertures at its ends that engage said bushing member and said locking post in fixed non-rotatable relationship.   
     
     
       4. A uni-directional, rotatable, remote control mechanism for use through a dividing wall, comprising: a tubular bushing member adapted to be mounted in fixed relationship through the dividing wall;   a shaft member having a head end with a shank member rotatably supported by said bushing member;   said bushing member having a counterbore defining an annular space about a portion of said shank member and a flange at one end with an outer planar face intersecting said annular space;   a slot in said planar face of said flange and extending from and communicating with said annular space;   a coil spring around said shaft member having its convolutions within said annular space with a bight end of said coil spring affixed by said slot in the flange of said bushing;   means retaining said shaft in axially thrust relationship with said head end against said flange of said bushing and retaining the bight end of said coil spring in said radial slot;   said convolutions of said spring being in bearing contact with said shaft member and spaced from said bushing member within said annular space whereby said shaft member is rotatable in an angular direction which opens said convolutions about said shaft and is prevented from rotation in the opposite direction.   
     
     
       5. A uni-directional mechanism in accordance with claim 1 including: manual means to rotate said shaft member from one side of the dividing wall and an operating arm on the opposite end of said shaft member under remote uni-directional rotating control thereby.